Sunday, May 20, 2007

The Benefits of Travel

Travel to other countries fills me with amazement at how people fashion contented lives from very little, and how they live without what we consider necessities.

To go to Peru, means stepping back in time. While in many cases, life is primitive, there is a sense of community and a spirit of co-operation. If, for example, one is wishing to buy a handwoven backpack and the shop does not have what exactly the right thing....you will be directed to someone who does. I also saw several occasions on which workers shared a potluck dinner. Those who could not bring food, brought their instruments and played them. There did not seem to be any kind of organization to it....but, rather, village customs to guide everyone in their tasks.

I enjoyed seeing how those who could afford it, decorated their walls with strong color (but, muted by Mexican standards) and how bright blue was used to accent otherwise drab buildings.I now chuckle when I think about the homeowner associations which are popular here in Austin.Oh, sure....they keep people from growing weeds and repairing cars in their driveways, but they also prevent me from tearing out grass and replacing it with gravel and ground-cover! All sorts of freedoms are given up in favor of homogeneity.

Then there's the business of ancient wisdom.

Houses are built right on top of Inca foundations

which remain standing over centuries of earthquakes.

Alpacas serve as lawnmowers, occasionally aided by a man with a machete. However, no one plants grass which requires a huge amount of water. I particularly enjoyed hearing with what pride the Peruvians describe their countryside.

No....I'm not going to sell my washer and refrigerator, but I AM going to sell a lot of my other

stuff. So, please stay tuned, and look through my Shop from time to time.